Don't Cry Because It's Over, Smile Because It Happened
by Liliana Celeste
Summary: Business is hard to find in a place like Scranton, Pennsylvania. Luckily for Jennifer Clarke, she applies as a sales representative for Dunder Mifflin and successfully gets the job. Jennifer doesn't realize what she dives into as she discovers all the wild things and mishaps that happen everyday at the local paper distribution company. *ON HAITUS*
1. Chapter 1

_"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." - Robert Frost_

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"Emilie," Jennifer says her name sternly as she places her hands on her hips. In return, the little girl duplicates her firm gesture as she puts her hands on her hips, mocking her with that silly grin of hers. They both stare at each other for a moment before Jennifer breaks out into a playful laugh and grin. "Stop being so cute, Em." She bouncily warns as she hoists the four-year-old little girl into her arms and plants a few loud smooches on both Emilie's chubby cheeks, making her squirm in her grasp.

"Jenny, stop it!" she laughs as she tries to escape Jennifer's grip as she tickles her stomach, making her squeal with delight.

"Never!" says Jennifer good-humoredly while suffering her through a tickle fit until she finally releases her. Emilie gives her a playful glare and crosses her arms. Jennifer looks at her amused.

"Meanie!" she sticks her tongue out while the older woman laughs.

"Victory's mine, Em," declares Jennifer as she walks away and goes into her small kitchen to fix Emilie a bowl of cereal before she had to leave to endure through another interview.

For a couple of weeks, it's been the same boring routine: in the morning, she wakes up, shower, and get Emilie ready for pre-school while she suffers through another interview opportunity that probably won't work out. Numerously, Jennifer has sent in resumes to several different business offices, some of them have called her in for an interview while others just ignored her resume.

It sucks.

Today, Jennifer gets to endure another eye-gouging interview. _Greeeat_. Not really.

Jennifer goes into her one bedroom and takes a look at herself in the mirror; she's wearing a crisp white button-down business shirt with a light-grey cardigan, charcoal slacks, and her dreadful black heels. Her natural blonde-hair is pulled up and out of her angular face into a high ponytail. In Jennifer's cobalt-blue eyes, she's the boring image of a typical business woman.

After making sure she looks appropriate for today's interview, she makes sure to check the street address of the business building she's heading to: 1725 Slough Road.

She naturally knows where that is; Scranton, Pennsylvania is a pretty easy city to get by if one has lived there since birth.

Jennifer allows Emilie to finish her cereal before she reluctantly trudges them out the door out of her tiny apartment. After getting her little sister inside the car, all buckled up in her booster-seat, the blonde-haired woman hops in the front seat and starts the car.

Afterwards once her baby sister is dropped off, Jennifer drives towards the address.

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For sure, it's a beautiful day in Scranton; temperature not too hot nor too cold. Jennifer admires the sheet of blue sky, laced with seamless clouds sailing lazily across the beautiful sky. A light breeze hits Jennifer as she exits her pre-owned Honda.

She shuts her door and locks it before looking up at the tall building where her possible future occupation could take place.

Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

Jennifer exhales a shaky breath as she shifts her bag on her shoulder more properly and surveys the area around her. The grey-building is surrounded by a huge fence, so at least the place is more hidden.

When the blonde woman peers her eyes up the building, she notices a certain window with a set of blinds; she could easily see someone peeking through the blinds. As if the person noticed they've been caught, the person immediately stepped away from the window.

The person was literally _spying_ on her. Jennifer tries to slide the weird thought behind her so she shrugged it off. _Make a good impression_, she repeatedly reminds herself. She clears her throat nervously; a bad habit whenever she's feeling anxiety. With wobbly legs, she pushes herself forward and crosses the small parking lot.

Taking deep breaths along the way, Jennifer enters the building and makes her way up the winding staircase until she ends up in another similar-looking hallway; from across, she can recognize the Dunder Mifflin logo plastered on a certain door at the end of the hall.

_Okay, Jenny, you can do this_, she repeats to herself apprehensively. Shakily, she manages to pull open the door and walks right through.

She is met with several pairs of eyes centered on her. Jennifer tries not to feel overwhelmed as she notices the people that work here are just staring at her, and quite frankly, it's making her feel uncomfortable. Trying to avoid their stares, she instead examines the office itself; it's nothing special really. The paper company is actually quite smaller than what Jennifer pictured. Everyone's desks are cluttered together, not a lot of space. The walls are a plain white; everything inside honestly looks… _dull_. Even some of the people look rather dull.

Jennifer narrows her eyes with confusion as she recognizes a small camera crew in the corner of the room. They appear to be recording her at the moment. The nervous blonde purposely turned away from the camera and instead focused her attention elsewhere.

She approaches the receptionist desk. She greets a woman who looks to be in her late-twenties-early-thirties; her frizzy, curly ginger-hair is pulled half-back, but she is naturally pretty, but appears a bit miserable; as if she's ready to scrape a cheese-grater against her forehead at any moment.

The frazzled woman looks up in surprise at Jennifer before recovering and going into business-mode.

"Hello; can I help you?"

Jennifer pulls a polite smile and replies, "Yes, you certainly may; I'm here for my interview with..." she sneaks a glance at her paper and quickly adds, "… Michael Scott…"

The receptionist widens her eyes in mid-surprise and says, "Oh, um, yes. You must be Jennifer Clarke. Yes, uh, Mr. Scott will be right with you at any moment—"

At that moment, the door to one of the private rooms burst open as a dark-haired man who appears to be in his early-forties struts out confidently and practically yells out, "That moment being right now!"

Jennifer realizes that he must be the person who was peeking on her when she was in the parking lot, since she can recognize the windows in his office.

Michael Scott happily approaches the blonde woman and greets positively, "Jennifer Clarke; Michael Scott. It's incredibly nice to see you in person." He enthusiastically shakes her hand while she offers a smile that clearly reads _this-guy-is-strange_. Jennifer avoids her eyes as she notices the camera crew approaching her closer.

_Am I on a reality show or something?_

"Thank you, Mr. Scott," acknowledges Jennifer in her professional-sounding voice as she gives him direct eye contact. "I absolutely appreciate you taking the time to personally interview me."

"Oh, please," laughs Michael as if she just pulled a hilarious joke. "Just call me Michael; I'm not like any other bosses out there."

"You're definitely _one-of-a-kind_," comments a man with messy brown-hair and dark brown-eyes. This comment causes most of the people working here to crack a smile or stifle a laugh, including Jennifer. She realizes that the comment must have a meaning behind it. She's not sure if she's not supposed to laugh or smile at that, fearful that it may upset the boss.

But much to her surprise, Michael laughs along with them.

"You're hilarious, Halpert."

"I try," retorts Halpert with a hint of a smirk.

"Well then," Jennifer intervenes the men's banter. "Shall we get this interview started?"

"We shall get this interview started," replies Michael eagerly as he gestures for the petite blonde woman to enter into his office.

"Great," says Jennifer with a relieved smile, glad to get out of the camera's grieving eye. She still wonders if she's on a reality show or not?

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"I like Jennifer," says Pam Beasley with a smile of optimism towards the camera. She shifts in her seat and adds, "She seems really nice; I only hope that Michael isn't going to scare her away. He sometimes has that effect on people."

Pam casually shrugs her shoulders.

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"Jennifer Clarke," states Jim Halpert as he leans back in his seat. He says, "Name has a nice ring to it. I don't know, what do you want me to say about her?"

"Just tell us what you think of her," ordered the camera man as he focuses his camera's penetrating lens on the brown-haired man.

"Well…" Jim shrugs his shoulders before saying, "She has clean-looking hair. Does that count?"

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"Jennifer Clarke is one stimulating and erotic person of the opposite sex," says Dwight Schrute with a creepy expression twisted onto his features towards the camera. "She would be an excellent individual to add to our wonderful community."

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"She needs to change the coloring of her hair," declares the bitter and older blonde woman named Angela as she glares at the camera. "I don't feel comfortable around ladies with the same hair color as me. It gives me mental nausea."

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After Jennifer's successful interview with Michael, she thanks him courteously multiple times before departing from the office building. She notices that the camera man aimed his camera at her retreating figure as she was leaving.

_Is that really necessary_, she wants to say but decides not to comment.

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"I enjoyed Jennifer's company." Michael Scott announces in his office with the camera aimed directly on his face. "Miss Clarke is definitely the kind of woman I could fall in love with and I think she's the kind of woman that could fall in love with me." He pauses. "Why are you looking at me like that? What? Are you laughing at me?"

Michael is offended as the camera man tries to suppress his laughing but ultimately fails.

"That's not funny." Michael defends with seriousness. "I am a passionate human-being and I will not tolerate anyone who makes fun of me in that kind of manner. She will be mine, oh yes. She will be mine. Make no mistake on that."

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**A/N: This story takes place during the first season of The Office, just so you know. I've been watching that show for years and very recently, I gained inspiration, so I'm excited to see where this goes. If any of you are wondering, I imagine Jennifer as Kristen Bell, I love that girl! If anyone has any questions regarding this story, please let me know. Thank you so much for reading :D **

**- Nina **


	2. Chapter 2

"Jenny, I'm hungry." Emilie complains later that night; Jennifer recently picked her up from the daycare center and they both arrived back to their apartment not too long ago. Sprawled on the couch, Jennifer suffers from anxiety; she successfully got the job and is supposed to start tomorrow early morning. She wants to be excited but honestly, she's terrified; starting new careers is always a tough one for Jennifer.

_It will be okay_, Jennifer thinks. At least she hopes so. Complying with her toddler sister's order, the blonde woman busies herself in the small apartment kitchen, making macaroni and cheese; Emilie's favorite meal. Emilie's blonde curls bounces up and down as she excitedly prances around the apartment. Jennifer smiles at her sister before her clouded mind starts reeling.

No doubt, she's glad of finally finding an occupation that will hopefully pay enough money to support her sister and herself. That's another thing Jennifer always worries about; trying to take good care of her sister, unlike her own parents who couldn't handle it.

Her thoughts are interrupted as she looks down and realizes the water in the saucepan is boiling to an extreme extent. Turning down the heat a slight notch, she pours the pasta in and proceeds making the meal.

After dinner's over, Jennifer begins to get Emilie ready for bed; giving her a nightly bath, brushing her teeth, pajamas, and placing her under the covers. Wishing Emilie a good night, Jennifer heads to her own room. She takes a seat on her bed and releases a sigh before she flops down on her back, her eyes resting on the ceiling.

Slowly, her blue eyes trail towards her photo frame on her night stand; a family photo consisting of newborn Emilie, her mom and dad, and herself, Jennifer. Emilie was just born a few months before Jennifer graduated from her senior year in high school. Now, being twenty-one, being the guardian of her four-year-old sister is not as easy as one may think it seems.

"Mom, dad, why did you have to make the wrong choices?" she whispered sadly. Jennifer refuses to cry for her parents so she turns the nostalgia picture over. Tiredly, she rests her head against her pillow and welcomes sleep.

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Once waking up and starting the new day, Jennifer, as always, drops Emilie off at daycare. Soon, Emilie will start preschool within the next few months. The thought of it brings a faint smile to Jennifer; her baby sister is growing up. It's too bad her parents can't see it. Rather she likes it or not, Jennifer has to pose as a motherly figure towards Emilie, making sure she does everything successfully in life.

Minutes later, Jennifer finds herself inside the Dunder Mifflin building. Of course, the intimidating camera is recording her every move and facial expression that crosses her face. Perhaps, she will ignore the camera; a technique she's learned in high school whenever something or someone bothers her.

As promised, Michael Scott; her new boss, supervises and informs Jennifer about everything she needs to know of her certain position. Jennifer is also surprised to learn that she actually has her own spacious desk; adjacent to Jim Halpert's and Dwight Schrute's desks. Only problem is; Jennifer has to face Dwight from the opposite side; she finds him to be extremely creepy.

Of course too, Michael loudly introduces Jennifer to the rest of the employees in the cramped office. Her cheeks burn in embarrassment as the bored staff look at her, including that stupid camera. _Don't be intimidated_, she scolds herself, _they're only human beings; they won't bite._

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"Am I being interviewed?" asks Jennifer, appearing confused and nervous as she sits down in a stiff chair, directly in front of the camera. At least she's alone in a separate room away from everyone else. She would die in embarrassment if they see how she reacts in front of the camera.

"Don't feel pressured." The camera-man tells her calmly, which relaxes her a bit. Jennifer takes the time to actually _look_ at the man who's behind the camera; cropped copper-color hair, pale skin, with occasional acne spread through his face. Other than the blemishes, he is not at all bad looking.

"I'll ask you questions; in return, you give me answers. In case you're wondering, I'm filming a documentary of the everyday life at Dunder Mifflin."

"Interesting," she says before asking curiously. "Do you have a name? I would feel bad if I called you _camera-man_."

"You don't need to know my name." He says curtly, his green eyes glimmering. A small smile twitches at the corners of his lips. "But if you're gonna continually bug me about it; like I think you're about to do, just call me _Cam_."

"_Cam_…" a smile appears on Jennifer as she realizes. "Oh, I get it. Cam as in _cam_era-man. That's clever. I like that. Now, what's your real name?"

"Okay, first question," he purposely interrupts. "What do you think of Dunder Mifflin so far?"

It takes a moment for the question to process in Jennifer's head. She answers, "Well… it's very calm here. Very peaceful community, at least so far from what I know. Everyone seems nice and they look friendly… at least some of them do. Others look like they want to bludgeon me with a sledgehammer, especially that frail blonde woman in the back."

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So far, everything that Jennifer has to suffer through is actually pretty easy. Jim volunteered to help her and make sure she understands everything from talking on the telephone to using the fax machine. The entire time, Dwight watches the two with a sinister expression on his face, which creeps Jennifer out a bit.

"Jim, really, I appreciate what you're doing. If it weren't for you, I would've caught the fax machine on fire and burnt the entire building down." Jennifer jokes as she properly faxes documents, slowly getting the hang of it.

"Anytime, Clarke." Jim smiles in a friendly way. "And don't worry about this beast." He pats the machine. "You'd have to be pretty stupid to catch this system on fire; and I know a lot of dummies out there, unfortunately." As a joke, Jim glances at Dwight, whose busy clipping his toenails with his bare foot resting on his desk. Both Jim and Jennifer chuckle as Dwight clips his thick toenail to where it snaps and pokes him in the eye. Dwight flinches and mutters an "_ow" _before he proceeds to clip the rest of his nails.

"Oh God… that's nasty." Jennifer grimaces.

"That's not even the worst that I've seen." Jim says, almost looking like he's about to shudder.

"Well, this job is going to be such _fun_. I can already feel it." She says sarcastically, as she stacks the documents neatly.

"It's not as bad as you make it out to be." Jim promises. "Trust me, first day is always the worst. It will get better, I can almost guarantee you."

"I hope you're right, Halpert."

"I'm always right, Clarke."

The two smile warmly at each other, neither of them noticing the frown placed on Pam's face; she immediately looks away from them as soon as she catches the camera's greedy eye. Caught red-handed, Miss Beasley redirects her attention to a telephone call.

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Jennifer sighs in relief when her shift ends, around five o' clock. A part of her is heartbroken that she has to work so many hours that she can't take care of her baby sister. Pushing those negative thoughts away, Clarke ensues to pick up Emilie from the local daycare.

Within minutes, Jennifer and Emilie arrive at her apartment. As always, Jennifer busies herself with making a quick dinner meal for them.

"Jenny, what's wrong?" asks the toddler, her blue eyes showing concern. _She's so cute_, Jennifer thinks absentmindedly. Sometimes, Jennifer doesn't think that Emilie is four years old; the toddler acts really mature occasionally that it scares Jennifer. Emilie has the mentality of an adult, it seems like.

"Nothing's wrong, Em." The blonde woman assures her.

"Nope. Something's wrong. I can tell. You look sad. Alone almost." Emilie places her hands on her hips, as if she knows she's right and Jennifer's wrong. A ghost of a smile on the older woman's lips, Jennifer duplicates her gesture; both of them looking at each other in a mock serious fashion. A moment later, they burst out giggling.

"I've told you before a million times, Em. Stop being so cute." Jennifer smiles as she hoists the tiny toddler into her arms and plants a big exaggerated smooch on her cheek, resulting in Emilie squealing happily. The sound of her sister giggling always brings a smile to Jennifer's face; she loves her sister more than anything.

"Jenny," says Emilie, serious. "What's wrong?"

"Emilie, you wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"I don't want to talk about it with you, so please stop asking me."

"Jenny…"

"I'm serious; I'd be too uncomfortable to discuss it with you. I appreciate you for being concerned but this is something that I can't share."

"Why not? We share things all the time."

"Sometimes, some things just can't be said. Now enough questions." Jennifer says sternly, almost like her mother used to do. "After you eat dinner, its bath-time and then to bed. No exceptions."

Emilie crosses her arms definitely before she huffs and caves in to her sister's request. Jennifer feels extremely bad for acting like that to her sister but she doesn't know what else to do. She heavily fears that she'll do a horrible job in raising Emilie all by herself. Every day and night, she wishes that her parents could be here to see the toddler grow.

Everything was perfect until her father started drinking; Emilie was only a baby and Jennifer was just graduating from high school. All her life, Jennifer lived in a tough household with her parents; her mom never worked since she never graduated from high school and her father was only an accountant. It was incredibly hard to support the family with a small income.

Jennifer reminisces all the things that happened in the past. Her father, George Clarke, had always drank before, but he never turned into an alcoholic until Emilie was born, which increased the bills and insurance and just about everything else.

Approximately four years ago; George died from alcohol poisoning. Her mother, Leigh-Anne, fell into deep depression before ultimately committing suicide; effectively leaving Emilie in Jennifer's care.

A few alligator tears slides down Jennifer's cheeks after she puts Emilie to bed and heads to her own bedroom.

Without even thinking about it, Clarke searches throughout her cluttered closet before she finds what she's been looking for; a photo album from 2001 – four years ago. Splashed across the pages of the leather album are pictures around the time Emilie was born. Jennifer remembers taking most of the pictures herself – photography used to be a strong passion of hers.

Once her parents both passed, Jennifer didn't have the heart or inspiration to pick up a camera again. A sudden realization strikes her; she hasn't taken one picture of Emilie after all these years – not one single photo.

Without warning, additional tears stream down her red cheeks and soon, Jennifer finds herself leaning against her closet door, sobbing her heart out. She sobs so much to where it hurts to breathe and her chest tightens. Jennifer attempts to stop crying before she wakes her sister – she doesn't want Emilie to see her in such a vulnerable position.

"Pull yourself together, Jen," she whispers, trying to regain strength.

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Clarke's second day at Dunder Mifflin is a much better experience; just as Jim promised her the previous day. Come to think of it, Jennifer's job is surprisingly very simple. Answering telephone calls and making sales is actually much easier than Clarke thought it would be. She idly wonders how much her paycheck would be; probably minimum wage.

She regrets not going to a university. After high school, she joined Scranton's local college and earned an associate's degree in business. It was complicated during that time period; her mom and dad's deaths, and taking care of baby Emilie all on her own.

At the same time, Jennifer shouldn't regret because she had a rightful reason for not attending a successful university. It's funny; before everything happened, she always thought she would go to Harvard and learn to become a lawyer. How that plan of hers got flushed in the toilet so fast.

"Uh, if you wanna come through here," her new boss, Michael is directing the camera-guy or _Cam_ as Jennifer recalled. "Ah, see, we have the entire floor." Michael gestures proudly to the dull-looking office. "So, this is my kingdom, far as the eye can see."

Jennifer fights the urge to scoff.

Dwight catches the look on Jennifer's face as he threateningly points his pencil at her. Nobody makes fun of his boss and best friend, Michael Scott.

Jennifer only smiles innocently at Dwight, which irks him.

Jim smirks at the two's interaction.

"Ah," Michael approaches the receptionist desk where an irritated Pam sits. "This is our receptionist, Pam Beasley." Without warning, Michael slams his fists on the desk repeatedly jokingly, impersonating a terrible imitation of Bam-Bam from the Flintstones. "_Pam! Pam! Pam_!"

Pam feels so close to twitching in annoyance.

Jennifer watches the exchange with an amused expression. She takes a good look at Pam and can already tell that Pam, in a way, looks alone and calamitous.

"Um, Pam has been with us, um… for-forever." Michael turns to the red-head. "Right, Pam?"

"Well, I don't know." She laughs timidly.

"If you think she's cute now," Michael turns back to the camera. "You should have seen her a couple years ago. _Reow_, _reow_."

Pam looks at Michael with slight disgust on her face.

"_What_?"

As if he hasn't freaked her out, Michael asks nonchalantly, "Uh, any messages?"

Awkwardly, Pam says, "Um, yeah. Just a fax." She hands him the paper.

"Oh. Pam, this is from corporate. How many times have I told you that there's a special filing cabinet for things from corporate?"

"You haven't told me—"

"It's called the waste paper basket." Crinkling the fax document in his hand, Michael releases a bawdy laugh before shooting the crumpled ball into the trash.

He points at a confused Pam and laughs even harder.

Jennifer shakes her head, not knowing what to comprehend. All she knew was: her boss is a lunatic, and he doesn't even realize it.

After Michael leaves to his own office while forcing Cam to follow him to most likely do a personal interview, Jennifer subtlety rises from her seat, making Dwight protest.

"Excuse me? Are you the Queen of England? Who said you can get up?"

Jennifer laughs sardonically; for some reason, she barely knows Dwight and already, she wants to punch him in the face.

"Dwight, if I had a dick, this is where I would tell you to suck it." She smiled sweetly and quickly walks away to the receptionist desk.

Jim fights a laugh that's bubbling in his throat and Dwight makes a face.

"Considering you are a female, Miss Clarke, it would be highly impossible for me to suck a male organ, especially on you."

"Perhaps, I should get a sex-change and you might change your mind."

She smirks at the disturbed look on Dwight's face; she certainly was feeling saucy at the moment. A realization sweeps over her; she remembered putting up a sassy act in high school, especially. It was her personality before her parents…

Ever since then, she's felt like this different person, consumed by fear and loathing.

It was weird to say that Jennifer felt like her old self just a moment ago; and she enjoyed it, and missed it immensely.

"Hey, Pam." Jennifer greets, leaning on her elbows against the desk; she smiles in a friendly way at the timid older red-haired woman.

Pam seems startled to see a visitor as she presents a small smile. "Hey."

"I never got to properly introduce myself to you." Jennifer holds out her hand politely. "I'm Jennifer Clarke, obviously."

Pam laughs and returns the hand shake. "Pam Beasley. It's really nice to officially meet you."

"Yeah. Same to you. Sorry if this seems sudden, but I was hoping we could maybe have lunch together out? We both look like we need some serious girl talk."

Shock paints Pam's feminine features before she utters, "Um… yeah, I suppose. Sure. Why not?"

"Excellent." Jennifer smiles. She is in serious need of having at least one friend that's a girl in her life, besides Emilie.

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**A/N: Wow! The response to this particular story is mind-blowing. Thank you so much for all the positive feedback; I really do appreciate it. Apologies for taking a while to post a new chapter; recently, I just got my internet working so I could finally post something! For those who have reviewed, I want to reply to each of you individually.**

kaylinthehuman: _Thank you so much for being such a great friend and encouraging me :D I'm glad you like it so far. Dwight is one of my favorite characters so I'm thrilled that you found his part funny! Oh, Michael! He only knew her for five minutes and already talking about love lol, what a goofball :D I hope you like the second chapter!_

Child the Great: _That's so great to hear that you've recently become a fan of the show! I appreciate everything you said and I promise I will continue to type more updates up :D_

nannygirl: _Prissy, have I mentioned that I adore you? I really do. Every positive feedback I receive from you always puts a smile on my face :D It may sound corny when I say that; but I really mean it. I'm honored that you enjoyed reading the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed the second chapter as well! ;)_

Mirage: _Thank you for your review; and I thank you even more for being honest with how you felt. I'm glad you enjoyed Dwight's hilarious part, and I appreciate you for pointing out an out-of-character notion of Michael, I'll make sure to keep him in-character ;) Hope you enjoy once more!_

Guest: _I wish I could thank you properly and know who you are. Thank you so much for reading the chapter and letting me know that you liked it! :D Keeping my fingers crossed that you enjoyed the second chapter, whoever you are ;D_


	3. Chapter 3

As Jennifer promises, she does the courtesy of accompanying Pam to lunch. She thought it would be a kind thing to do; and Pam looks in desperate need of some girl talk. Jennifer only worked for less than two days at Dunder and couldn't help but think of how lonely Pam was.

From what Jennifer could see, Pam seemed as if she was going to bludgeon herself to death with a weapon. As Jennifer really notices Pam's appearance; she's found herself stuck in deep thought. Dark circles are under Pam's eyes; as if she has trouble sleeping. Jennifer feels that she could relate to that; she hopes to hear some of Pam's undisclosed thoughts.

Soon, they arrive at a nearby Chipotle and decide to eat outside; it is definitely another gorgeous day in Scranton. A clear blue sky, puffy white clouds sailing, the sun shining brightly. The weather is fairly mild; which Jennifer absolutely loves, not too hot nor cold. The air surrounding the two women strongly smells of fresh Mexican food from inside the grill.

_It feels oddly wonderful right now_, Jennifer thinks thoughtfully. It is also a blessing that Cam didn't follow the girls there. Although, Jennifer did catch him recording them as they left the building.

Jennifer moans in delight as she eats a forkful of her grilled-chicken salad filled with guacamole, salsa, shredded cheese, and freshly made chipotle-honey vinaigrette. She can't remember the last time she's been to a restaurant, fast-food place, or grill. All she knows is that she definitely needs to go back more often. Perhaps she should reward Emilie with McDonalds.

"How's your salad?" asks Jennifer, trying to form a conversation since she and Pam have been stuck in semi-awkward silence.

"It's great. Thank you for asking. How's yours?" replies Pam, her eyes cast downward as she tosses her grilled-steak salad around.

"Delicious. It's been so long since I've eaten food like this."

"Why's that?"

Jennifer grimaces; she didn't want to bring up her subject of her difficult lifestyle. At least not until she feels more comfortable about it. She certainly doesn't want to gain sympathy from anyone about raising a four-year-old all by herself and her parent's deaths. It's not that Jennifer doesn't trust Pam; she fears that Pam will only look at her as if she's a broken rag doll.

"It's nothing." Jennifer reassures, not wanting to bring that painful subject up. "I just… um…" she quickly thinks up of an excuse that's believable. "I just like to save my money, that's all."

"Ah." Pam nods understandingly. "I'm the same way. I just don't understand how some girls spend all their money on unnecessary things, it's ridiculous."

"I know." Jennifer agrees. "It _is_ ridiculous. I mean; I'll maybe buy something for myself every now and then, but I certainly don't go around maxing out all my credit cards."

"Same here." Pam replies. "It's… stupid." Pam says quietly, before her smile decreases and they're both stuck in silence again. It's not that Pam doesn't like Jennifer; but she finds it really difficult to have a conversation with anyone, to be honest.

Jennifer clears her throat before deciding to change the subject. "So… got anyone in your life that you're seeing?"

"Yes, actually I do." Pam nods, but she says it like she wants to vomit. Jennifer notices this but doesn't comment on it. "His name is Roy Anderson and he actually works with us in Dunder Mifflin; he's the warehouse dock worker."

"Oh, that's sweet. How long have you guys been together?" asks Jennifer curiously. She closely watches Pam's facial expressions; she's suspicious that whoever this Roy guy is, Pam must not really like him that much, as she talks about him with no enthusiasm or pride whatsoever.

"We've been engaged for five years." Pam supplies nonchalantly.

"Oh, wow." Jennifer blurts in surprise. _So they're engaged, huh? Interesting._ "Well, congratulations, Pam."

"Thank you." Pam acknowledges quietly before saying conversationally, "What about you? You have a boyfriend, fiancée perhaps?"

"I wish. Last boyfriend I had was my senior year of high school. Haven't dated anyone ever since."

"High school? Wow. How old are you, if I may ask?"

Jennifer laughs playfully. "You may ask, and I'm twenty-one years old; legally old enough to drink and go to the casinos… which I haven't done yet."

"Well, maybe, one of these days, we can get together and have an all-girls weekend. Or whatever we would call that, these days."

"I would like that very much; we shall plan on that."

"We should." Pam's smile is genuine; she's quite surprised to be having a good time so far. "So, since you haven't been dating, for some odd reason in the last four years or so, maybe you should consider it." Jennifer slightly grimaces at the idea of a relationship. There is no way she could inhabit one, especially with her struggle at home. She still needs some time to even dwell on the idea alone. Jennifer continues thinking thoughtfully while Pam continues, "I noticed you and Jim talking a little bit." Pam remains strong as she forces it out. As much as she wants to be jealous and despise Jennifer, she can't; Jennifer has shown too much kindness and respect, and Pam doesn't want to destroy that; she's not that kind of person. As she secretly loves Jim, a part of Pam is willing to let that go and allow beautiful and young Jennifer to maybe have something.

Jennifer's eyes widen at the mention of her and Jim being together. No offence; Jim's really handsome and all, Jennifer can't deny that; but she honestly can't see her and Jim being a couple. It just doesn't work in her head like that.

"Me and Jim? Don't get me wrong; he's cute, but definitely not the kind of guy for me. Thanks for the option but I'm not looking for a relationship at the moment. I'm too occupied with the beautiful things I have in my life." Jennifer says smiling brightly; thinking strongly about Emilie. She is definitely lucky to have such a wonderful and mature little sister like her.

"I'm pretty sure you're the first woman I met who says she's not looking for a relationship." Pam remarks curiously, ultimately surprised about what Jennifer says about Jim especially.

"Well, I'm not like other women." Jennifer states. "And I don't need a man in my life to help support or make me happy. I'm certainly not desperate to go find my Prince Charming; he's probably stuck in a tree or something." Pam laughs lightly at Jennifer's funny comment. Jennifer continues, "Anyways, all I'm saying is, I'm okay with being single."

"I admire your independence, Jennifer." Pam says respectfully.

"Thank you, Pam."

"Anytime." Pam finally spreads a full smile, showing her teeth for the first time to Jennifer. _Pam is extremely beautiful when she grins_, Jennifer thought. _She should show it more often._

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Sadly, their lunch break is over; so Jennifer reluctantly drives them back to Dunder Mifflin. It sucks because she actually had a lot of fun with Pam and getting to know her a little bit. They definitely have to go out to lunch sometime again. It feels really nice to have a conversation with a friend. Jennifer really needs it, desperately almost.

Soon, Jennifer and Pam are back in their respective places; Pam at the receptionist desk and Jennifer in the trio of desks with Jim and Dwight. As soon as she sits down, she notices Cam focusing his camera on her, making her blush a bit. Out of nowhere, she gains confidence and mockingly blows a kiss at the camera. Cam smirks at the sudden gesture; this Jennifer chick definitely knows how to surprise him. Purposely avoiding his gaze, Jennifer goes back to work as Cam refocuses his attention on recording the entire staff and not just the new girl.

"I noticed you went to lunch with Pam." Jim says conversationally, resulting in Jennifer looking up from her work. "How was that? Did you two have some quality girl-time or whatever?"

Folding her hands on the desk, Jennifer says with a smile, "Yes, we did actually. We had a really nice time; I like Pam, she's really sweet."

Jim briefly looks at Pam whose busy talking on the phone before saying, "That she is. Not a lot people say positive things about Pam, but when you really get to know her, she's… well… amazing." Jim says quietly, almost thoughtfully. Jennifer notices the look in his eyes and it suddenly dawns on her like a ton of bricks; Jim likes Pam, like _really_ likes her. It's too obvious.

"I'm sure she is amazing." Jennifer replies gently, smiling in a friendly way.

Before Jim could reply, Dwight suddenly started to decide to act obnoxious as he imitated drums, effectively ruining the serious conversation between Jim and Jennifer.

"I have no gifts for you." Dwight sings, making annoying noises as he slams the drawers on his desk and continuing to imitate the sound of drums. Since aggravating tactics like this happens every day with Dwight, Jim leans on his hand, a frown placed on his face as he looks bored and irritated at the man sitting next to him. Meanwhile, Jennifer stares at Dwight, looking like she wants to scrape a cheese grater on her forehead at any moment.

Before she can get Dwight to shut up, Jennifer observes Cam again zooming his camera on her hilarious annoyed expressions. Jennifer looks at Cam as if to say "_really_"? In return, he only shrugs and grins at her expression.

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"I'm not so sure if Dwight and I can be friends." Jennifer says carefully during her interview with Cam. She shifts in her chair and absentmindedly tucks her blonde hair behind her ear. "I mean, how can we be? Dwight doesn't seem to respect me, so why should I respect him? He's what you would call a douche in today's society."

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"Jennifer is amazingly stimulating to the human male species." Dwight says to the camera with a smirk placed on his face. He adjusts his glasses and adds, "There has been nothing but extreme sexual tension ever since Michael placed her to sit in front of me." Dwight smiles, almost like a predator, making Cam cringe a bit. "Thank you, Michael Scott."

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"Ew. Sexual tension? Where the hell did you get that from?" asks Jennifer completely disgusted to the camera. Cam smiles amused by her hilarious reaction. "It's been anything but sexual tension. No offence to Dwight or anything, but that's just wrong. He's currently on my list of annoying people I have met so far."

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"I'm sorry but I can't see Dwight dating a girl like Jennifer. Um, maybe that chick from that one show Ugly Betty, but not Jen. No. Whatever Dwight thinks or fantasizes, I can assure him that it's not going to happen." Jim says to the camera. "Sorry to crush his confidence but, um… it's the truth." Jim casually shrugs his shoulders.

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As Jennifer, Dwight, and Jim are quietly working; Michael decides to sneak up on them, standing specifically behind Jim as he bellows, "_Wassuuuup_?!" resulting in Jennifer gasping as she briefly jumps in her seat before she realizes it's just her boss.

"Oh my God…" she puts a hand to her erratic beating heart. "Mr. Scott, you scared the death out of me."

"Jennifer, how many times must I remind you to call me _Michael_?" asks Michael, laughing as he playfully shoves Jennifer's arm, almost making her fall out of her chair. "You're acting like I'm one of your high school teachers." Then he mimics in his best impression of Jennifer, "_Mr. Scott. Mr. Scott. Can I ask you a question_?" Michael laughs as if he just did the funniest thing in the world while Jennifer looks at the camera as if asking "_help me_".

"Awe, you're too cute, Jenny." Michael teasingly punches her in the arm, making Jennifer wince in slight pain as she clutches her arm.

"Great. I have an abusive boss." Jennifer comments seriously but Michael thinks her comment is a joke as he only laughs, making Jim and Jennifer share looks.

"Okay. All right. See you guys later." Michael says after he stops laughing and slowly trudges back to his office. As if everyone in the office was having a short break, Michael hollers to everyone, and "Back to work!" Jennifer lightly chuckles as everyone, of course, ignores him.

"I think it's safe to say that I think I might like it here." Jennifer comments with a genuine smile.

"Easy for you to say. Once you go Dunder Mifflin, you never go back." Dwight replies darkly.

"Don't try to scare her, Dwight. If that's your special, weird way of flirting, it sucks." Jim says casually, shooting Jennifer a quick wink. She smiles at both Dwight and Jim before returning to her business, the camera trained on her the entire time.

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**A/N: I hope everyone immensely enjoyed this chapter! My favorite part to type was the conversation between Jennifer and Pam; they're both not confident to talk about their issues in their life right now. Hopefully, soon, they will gain the courage to actually talk about all those negative things and form a deep connection. **

**Also, I'm hoping everyone enjoys Jennifer's interactions with the people in The Office so far. This chapter was really fun to write and I hope everyone liked it.**

**Please, let me know if you have any questions :D**

**Reviews are better than being friends with a guy like Jim Halpert ;) Probably not though; Jim would be amazing to have for a friend, or maybe more ;D**

**- Nina **


	4. Chapter 4

Jennifer busily writes down an important set of notes before the phone started to ring. Absentmindedly, she picks it up and places it to her ear. Distractedly, she asks, "Dunder Mifflin, this is Jennifer speaking. How can I help you?"

"Jenny? Is that you?" a familiar, frail voice asks warily on the other line. Jennifer immediately pauses in her writing task as she recognizes that innocent voice anywhere. Her heart freezes momentarily as terrible thoughts brew into Jennifer's head; why would Emilie be calling her?

"Emilie? W-what? What's wrong? Are you okay?" she demands, a string of questions lingering in her head. From the other side of the desk, Jim notices the apprehensive expression on Jennifer's face; he wonders what's going on. Dwight notices the look on her face as well but doesn't seem too concerned by it as he instead resumes on sharpening his pencils, creating an obnoxious noise; resulting in Jim giving him a look that clearly read "are you kidding me". But Jennifer isn't paying any attention to him as she prepares for Emilie's next words.

"When are you coming to get me?" Emilie whines on the other end, sounding close to tears. Jennifer holds her breath as she hears her little sister's sniffles, making her heart break even more. "I never see you anymore, Jenny. I miss you. I want to go home."

Jennifer sighs as she runs a hand through her blonde hair. She wish she could just pick Emilie up and take her home; she feared that something like this would happen. It truly sucks not being able to spend any quality time with her little sister.

"I know. I miss you too, Em. I'm sorry, honey. But I can't leave work right now. You're just gonna have to hang on until five o' clock. All right? Can you do that for me?"

"I wish you don't have to work."

"Well, that's life for you, Em. Please be good; try not to give your daycare sitter any grief. Okay? I love you, Em. I'll see you at five."

"I love you, Jenny. Bye."

"Bye, Em."

Jennifer reluctantly places the phone back on the receiver and notices the concerned look on Jim's face; she realizes that Dwight is actually still sharpening his pencils, not looking like he even cared whatsoever.

"Yeah, thanks for the concern, Dwight." Jennifer says sarcastically. Dwight pauses briefly and doesn't even smile, just gives her that smart-ass face of his that she heavily desires to punch.

"Oh, don't thank me, Miss Clarke. It's certainly no problem at all."

Jennifer shakes her head at his reply before Jim asks, "What was that all about?"

"Sorry, it was my little sister. She's missing me." Jennifer replies in an upset tone, her blue eyes casting downwards on her desk.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Jim apologizes genuinely. Jennifer smiles softly, her head shaking briefly.

"Don't be sorry. It's fine. It's just – well, my little sister and I used to be around each other twenty-four-seven and now that I'm actually working, we've been spending less time together. So I assume that's why she called; she misses our time together. I do too."

"Of course, I can understand that. How old is your sister?"

"She's four right now. She'll be starting preschool within a few months."

"Oh wow; she's young."

"Yeah, she is—"

Again, their serious conversation is being rudely interrupted by Dwight's overuse of the pencil sharpener. Without even thinking about, Jennifer reaches over and smacks the black plug-in pencil sharpener off the desk, resulting the device to fall on the floor. Dwight is still holding the pencil in the direction where the sharpener used to be as he slowly looks Jennifer in the eye.

"Sorry, there was a bug on it." Jennifer says, making up an excuse. Jim briefly looks at the camera, his hand covering his mouth as he attempts to hide his smile of amusement.

"My sharpener will not tolerate being abused like that." Dwight says slowly and calmly, the pencil in his hand still frozen in its spot. "If you would please, pick it up, place it on my desk – _gently_ – so I can pick up where I left off."

"So you can annoy us when we're trying to have a serious conversation? Yeah, that sounds like a great idea, Dwight."

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"Calling Dwight an asshole would be considered an insult to assholes." Jennifer says facing the camera, an extremely annoyed look plastered on her face. Cam's amusement is clearly written on his face as Jennifer continues, "Seriously, it's only my second day, and he just thinks he can be a dick because I'm the new girl. Well, too bad for him, because I'm not going to let him get under my skin like that anymore. No way, Jose."

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A rumor spreads through the entire office that the Scranton branch is possibly downsizing. While Jennifer is busy faxing papers, she hears a whisper coming from behind her, "What does downsizing actually mean?"

She turns around and recognizes the older, overweight woman with dark short hair and glasses; Phyllis, she recalls. Phyllis is leaning down next to the equally overweight middle-aged dark-skinned man whose name is Stanley.

"Well…" Stanley begins to reply before the Mexican accountant strides up to the pair. Jennifer listens closely as she pretends to be faxing documents. In the corner of her eye, she can see Cam recording her. He really needs to stop doing that.

"You guys gotta update your resumes, just like I'm doing." The accountant says to the employees in a whisper.

When Jennifer lingers in her spot too long, she attracts the attention of the three fellow employees. Her cheeks burn in embarrassment, as she realizes she's been caught eavesdropping. Quickly grabbing the documents, she maneuvers away from them; feeling their prying eyes on her back.

"That new girl is really nosey." Stanley comments grumpily. Phyllis lightly slaps his shoulder.

"Don't be so hard on her; she seems really nice. And her hair looks so nice! It's refreshing to have a new blonde in the office that isn't so uptight like Angela." Phyllis says with a smile before returning to her desk.

As Jennifer sits at her desk, making herself comfortable; she notices that Jim isn't next to her. Curiously, she turns and realizes he's having a conversation with Pam. A small smile graces her lips as she looks at the potential couple; they would be so great together.

Surprisingly, as Jennifer watches closely, she observes Pam talking animatedly towards Jim; something Jennifer hasn't had the pleasure of seeing yet. Pam looks so natural and beautiful when she's speaking with Jim; she knows they are indeed friends, but honestly, if Jennifer was a bystander and she saw those two together, with how they are interacting, she would definitely mistake them as a couple. Jennifer wonders if Pam's feelings for Jim are stronger than her entire relationship with this Roy she spoke about earlier. It's definitely a possibility.

Once Jim returns to his personal desk, Jennifer is the first to notice a new guest walking inside the office. His hair is dark and slightly curly and he's wearing a professional business suit with a bag slung over his shoulder. The man talks to Pam at the receptionist desk before Michael strolls into the room, confidence raiding.

"This is Mr. Scott," Pam introduces the stranger to Michael.

"Guilty! Guilty as charged." Michael shouts loudly, as he shakes hands with the business man. Jennifer watches the exchange curiously. She still can't believe that this energetic man is actually her boss.

"Ryan Howard from the temp agency." Ryan introduces professionally. "Daniqua sent me down to start today."

"Howard, like Moe Howard, Three Stooges." Michael says. "Watch this, this is Moe." He proceeds to do a funny impression as Jennifer attempts to hide her laugh but fails miserably.

"Hey! Someone's laughing! I knew you'd come around sooner or later, Jenny." Michael laughs as Jennifer gives him an _I-don't-know-what-to-think _look. "Ah, right here. Three Stooges. High-five." He and Ryan exchange high-fives. "Oh, Pam! It's a guy thing, Pam." Michael explains as Pam gives him this look. "I'm sort of a student of comedy. Watch this."

Proceeding to grab a ruler, Michael decides to do a terrible impersonation of Hitler as Ryan stares at him, almost disbelievingly.

"I'm Hitler." Michael explains as if nobody knew that.

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"I'm starting to seriously wonder if this is the right job for me." Jennifer says, thinking about it. Her face shows a sheet of concentration as Cam trains the camera lenses on her face, capturing her every emotion.

"I don't know… My boss is a lunatic. The guy who sits in front of me is an asshole. Actually, I'm surrounded by assholes. Jim and Pam, so far, are the only people I like. And they're the only people that I'd actually like to see get together… Jim and Pam… Jam… I ship it."

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"Sure. Uh, Mr. Davis, let me call you right back. Yeah, something just came up. Two minutes. Thank you very much." Jim hangs up the phone as he looks exasperated at Dwight who is messing around with a large ruler. Jennifer too wants to smack that ruler out of his hand; it's so tempting.

"Dwight, what are you doing?" asks Jim.

"What is Dwight not doing?" Jennifer replies, her eyes cast downwards as she was busy writing stuff down.

"Just clearing my desk." Dwight says nonchalantly as he swipes the ruler, trying to make sure Jim's belongings and papers aren't touching his own desk. "I can't concentrate."

"You have some serious OCPD issues, my friend." Jennifer comments as Dwight continues shoving Jim's belongings with his precious ruler.

"Careful, sweetheart. We are not friends." Dwight says warningly, briefly pointing his ruler at her. Jennifer shrugs innocently.

"I thought you had a thing for me, Dwight."

"Not anymore, I don't. My attentions involving you are done considering you destroyed my sharpener's dignity."

"Ouch." Jim remarks, crossing his arms.

"So does that mean you'll stop obsessing over me? That's fantastic." Jennifer smiles as Dwight rolls his eyes and proceeds to be annoying by making sure nothing is touching on his desk.

"It's not on your desk, Dwight." Jim argues.

"It's overlapping." Dwight fires back. "It's all spilling over the edge. One word, two syllables: demarcation."

"I'm not a nerd, Dwight; can you please elaborate what _demarcation_ means?" asks Jennifer.

"I can list myriad synonyms for demarcation: separation, departure, differentiation, isolation, segregation—"

"You lost me at _separation_."

Later, Jim decides to pull a harmless prank on Dwight by arranging all his pencils lined up around his desk and attached to various objects. Jennifer watches in amusement as Dwight returns with his cup of coffee and acknowledges the joke.

"You can't do that." Dwight opposes.

"Why not?" asks Jim innocently.

"Safety violation. I could fall and pierce… an organ."

"We'll see."

Dwight glares at Jim before he automatically grabs his telephone and starts to smash every individual pencil down, littering them all over the floor as Jim smiles mischievously towards the camera.

"See, this is why the whole downsizing thing just doesn't bother me."

"Downsizing?" questions Dwight.

"I can list myriad synonyms for downsizing: economizing, reducing, rationalizing, downscaling…" Jennifer mocks Dwight's quote earlier.

"I'm very well aware of what downsizing means, Miss Clarke."

"You know something, Dwight; I don't mind you talking so much, as long as you don't mind me not listening." Jennifer retorts.

"We shall get along perfectly then."

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**A/N: A popular question that's been asked lately is; is there going to be a relationship between Jennifer and Jim? The answer is NO. I promise you; Jim and Pam will be the couple, I would never want to destroy that beautiful bond they have in the show. Even Jennifer ships them already :D**

**Thank you so much for the kind reviews and everyone's encouragement! You guys rock! **

**- Nina **


	5. Chapter 5

Soon, everyone inside the Dunder Mifflin branch is called into a meeting authorized by Michael. The employees reluctantly moved from their positions and made themselves comfortable inside the conference room.

Jennifer hesitantly enters the room and decides to sit next to Pam at the front. Her heart beats anxiously; she's never sat through a conference meeting before, so this is all new to her. She thinks it would make her feel more confident and better if she sat next to someone she knows. She smiles in a friendly way towards Pam.

"Hey." Jennifer greeted softly, eliciting a matching smile from Pam.

"Hi. Are you okay?" whispered the red-head, noticing Jennifer bounce her leg timidly; a bad habit of hers whenever she is feeling nervous.

"I'm fine; just never been experienced a meeting, you know."

Pam patted her leg in reassurance. She says, "There's nothing to be afraid of. In fact, once you get used to them, you'll be dying of boredom."

"That's so uplifting." Jennifer retorts cynically. Pam chuckles before Michael strolls into the room and everyone settles down.

Michael announces, "Now, I know there are some rumors out there, and I just kinda wanna set the record straight—"

Dwight interrupted rudely by laughing sardonically and standing up from his seat and instantly makes his way towards Michael; he says to him, "I'm Assistant Regional Manager. I should know first."

"Assistant to the Regional Manager." Michael corrects.

"Okay, um, can you just tell me, please? Just tell me quietly. Whisper it in my ear." Dwight begs. Jennifer tries to hide a smile that's threatening to break loose; that just sounds funny, what Dwight said.

"I'm just about to tell everyone." Michael tells him.

Dwight begins to reply before someone interrupts him. "Could you please? Okay? Do you want me to tell them?"

"You don't know what it is." Michael chuckles, as he looks at his audience and to the camera.

"Okay. You tell them. With my permission." Dwight orders, as if he runs the show around here.

"I don't need—"

"Permission granted."

Jennifer watches in amusement of the banter between the two men. In the corner of her eye, she notices Cam zooming in on her. She sticks her tongue out, making funny faces at the camera before Michael notices this.

"What? What's this? Jenny, you, you look like you're enjoying yourself there. Are you enjoying yourself?"

Jennifer blushes in embarrassment. "Not at all, Mr. Scott. Please, carry on."

"C'mon, Jenny, Benny, Kenny, Lenny, Penny," Michael jokes as Jennifer doesn't look amused as he keeps saying names that rhymes with hers. "Please, I've told you this a thousand times. Just call me Michael."

All Jennifer can do is nod and gestures for Michael to continue on. She scrunches her face into a glare; Cam just embarrassed her in front of everyone. He mockingly waves at her as she shakes her head and makes a gesture of making a fist and pounding it into her hand; signifying that she'll kick his ass later.

"All right. Well, Corporate has deemed it appropriate to enforce an ultimatum upon me. And, uh, Jen is thinking about downsizing either the Stanford branch or this branch."

So, the rumors are true? Jennifer's heart plummets down to her stomach. She just gets this job and already, this branch might downsize?

"So, Michael, what if they downsize here?" asks Oscar from the back of the room.

"Not gonna happen." Michael sounds too confident.

"It could be out of your hands, Michael." Stanley speaks up.

"It won't be out of my hands, Stanley. Okay? I promise you that."

"Oh, can you promise that?" challenges Stanley.

"On his mother's grave." Dwight supplies. Michael gives him a look.

"Well… No. Well, yeah, it's a promise. And, frankly, I'm a little bit insulted that you have to keep asking about it."

"It's just that we need to know." Stanley speaks on everyone's behalf. Jennifer and Pam nod in agreement.

"Hold on a second. I think Pam wanted to say something." Michael says as Pam's pale face brightens. "Pam, you, uh… had a look that you wanted to ask a question just now."

Pam hesitates before she says, "I was in the meeting with Jan, and she did say that it could be this branch that gets the axe."

Suddenly, everyone murmurs about the rumors before Michael speaks a bit rudely, "Look, Pam… uh, maybe you should stick to the ongoing confidentiality agreement of meetings."

"Pam, information is power." Dwight adds.

"Mr. Scott, Dwight," Jennifer says, without thinking. "I don't think that's necessary for you to talk to Pam like you just did." Horrified, Pam looks at Jennifer as if she committed murder.

"What are you doing?" whispers Pam. Jennifer ignores her; she's not going to just sit there and allow Michael and Dwight to say all these things.

"And quite frankly, I don't think it's appropriate to openly lie to everyone about this branch's fate and making false promises." Jennifer finishes, making everyone gape at her in surprise. So, the new girl did have some guts.

"Miss Clarke." Dwight is the first one to speak. "Very unwise of you to speak to Michael and me like that. Perhaps next time you should keep that big mouth of yours shut. If you wish, feel free to leave. We don't need unnecessary individuals like you in this branch; you don't deserve it. It's a shame no one will miss you."

"Dwight, let's not be rash about this—"

Michael begins but instantly stops. Jennifer is so humiliated and hurt by Dwight's words. Tears well up in her eyes but she refuses to show them.

"Excuse me." She mutters and avoids everyone's stares as she moves past Michael and Dwight and exits out of the office, needing a moment of fresh air. "Don't follow me." She snaps as she hears Cam trailing behind her. Cam stays back and watches as Jennifer runs down the stairs, out of sight.

The tears come rushing down her cheeks as she welcomes the fresh air of Scranton. She leans against the building and tries to take a few deep breaths. All she wanted to do was defend Pam and everyone; and she ends up getting smack for it. Great. Dwight manages to disgrace her in front of the entire branch, all because she couldn't keep her mouth shut.

A moment later, the door opens; Pam and the older woman, Phyllis, Jennifer recalls, come rushing towards her. Confusion sweeps over like wind; she is genuinely clueless as to why they are out here. Is she about to be fired? Are they here to break the news? Jennifer's gut twists into thick knots.

"Oh my God!" Pam says, concern adorning her natural features; she observes the blonde's tears and red nose. She hesitantly steps forward and rests a hand on the crying girl's shoulder. Like a mother would, Phyllis sweeps her hair out of her face and comfortingly rubs her other shoulder.

"Are you okay, honey?" asks the hefty woman. Jennifer doesn't know what to do or say. She can't remember when she's been comforted like this.

"You don't even want to know my answer." Jennifer croaks – the tears come rushing down in streaks once more. She's even more humiliated that people have to see her cry.

"Jennifer, don't let Dwight upset you like that." Pam says, trying to ease her tears.

"Pam is right, dear. Dwight is an ass; you'll get used to him. That's just his personality." Phyllis explains, a small smile embellishing her face.

"Yeah, and thank you for sticking up for me, by the way. Nobody's really done that for me before; it was a really sweet gesture. I only wish I can return the favor." Pam smiles softly.

"I was just doing what's right." Jennifer says, her voice sounding normal as she calms down. "Mr. Scott was being disrespectful and I wasn't okay with that. Actually, I was trying to defend everyone but now I feel like maybe I shouldn't have said anything."

"No." Phyllis says firmly, gripping her shoulder. "You did do the right thing, Jennifer. In fact, I think you might be the only person who stood up to Michael and Dwight the way you did. You have a lot of courage."

"Thank you, Phyllis." Jennifer smiles in appreciation. "I don't think we properly met; I'm Jennifer Clarke and I'm a much more likable person when I'm not crying or pissed-off."

"Phyllis Vance." She happily shakes hands with Jennifer. "Don't worry, I think you're likable already. I just hope you don't have thoughts about quitting after that whole dilemma upstairs."

Jennifer wipes her tears away. "I'm pretty sure I'm getting fired anyways."

"Don't think like that." Pam says. "Surely, if you talk with Michael about what happened, it's all just a misunderstanding."

"Thank you, Pam." Jennifer hugs her, making the red-head stiffen for a moment. Ultimately, she relaxes and returns the hug. Phyllis smiles before she's caught in surprise when Jennifer gives the same hug towards her. "Thank you, Phyllis."

"Anytime, dear." Is her response.

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"Jenny! You're back! Wow! For some reason, I was sitting here, thinking I would probably never see your lovely face here again." Michael blurts out, as Jennifer hesitantly enters his office and takes a seat in front of his desk. An irritated part of Jennifer notices Cam in the corner of her eye.

"Look, Mr. Scott—"

"Michael, silly goose." He corrects with a lop-sided grin.

"Sir, I understand if you're having thoughts about firing me, but I only wanted to—"

"Um, what?" Michael laughs, as if she just cracked a hilarious joke. "Fire you? Why on earth would I fire you? You're pulling my leg here, Jenny."

"Wait – you're not gonna fire me?"

"Give me one reason why I would fire you."

"Uh, I disrespected you in front of your employees?" It sounds more like a question.

"Disrespected? As if. That's a good one, Jenny. I admire your sense of humor."

"I wasn't trying to be funny."

"She's cracking me up." Michael looks at the camera with that funny smile. He redirects himself to Jennifer. "No, seriously, Jenny; I'm not gonna fire you, nor have I ever had intentions of firing you. Thank you for the visit, Jenny."

"Oh." Jennifer is surprised. "Is that my cue to go?"

"See you later, Jenny." It seems that Michael goes back to work as he starts writing down on something. Jennifer is dumbstruck as she slowly gets up from her chair and goes back outside to her desk, confused of what just happened.

Okay, so she's not fired? Well, that's a surprise.

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Darkness sweeps over Scranton and soon, it's time to go back home. Jennifer is one of the last to leave, she packs up her things and gets ready to leave. Most of the lights dimmed to save electricity; Dunder Mifflin likes to go very cheap apparently.

She goes to exit out into the hallway when she notices someone standing there, making her jump. She could only notice the outline of the person.

"Well, well, Miss Clarke. That was such a cute little façade you used earlier today."

"Dwight." Jennifer doesn't bother hiding the venom in her voice – she's so angry with him she can almost taste it.

"Jennifer." He responds in a similar fashion.

"How long were you waiting for me, stalker?"

"Oh, not long at all, Miss Clarke. I was just busy cleaning Hubba Bubba gum off my expensive shoes."

"Sucks to be you." Jennifer smiles sweetly and passes him by taking the stairs. She hears Dwight following right behind her. She fights the strong urge to not sucker punch him right then.

"So, Michael was talking to me earlier, after you ran out, crying like a little girl that got picked on at the playground; and you know what struck me was, he actually defended you. And you know the funny thing is, Michael has never spoken to me in that fashion before."

"I think I respect Michael more now; he chose me over you, that's a big ouch for you."

"Evidently." Dwight replies as they exit out the building and into the cold weather of Scranton. Jennifer shivers as the wind picks up; she heads to her car and notices with annoyance that Dwight is still following her.

"I have a theory, Jennifer. You've bewitched him."

"Um, excuse me? What?" Jennifer turns around and looks at him funny. Dwight is completely serious.

"You heard me. I believe you're charming the boss out of his pants. He's infatuated with you; that's why he defended you and not me."

"You're hilarious, Schrute." Jennifer actually laughs, she can't help it; the idea of Michael being infatuated with her is funny. He's like twice her age. Not to mention that would be incredibly creepy. "Our boss is literally old enough to be my father." She deadpans.

"Michael doesn't think so." Dwight retorts, making Jennifer extremely uncomfortable.

"You're weird. I gotta go." With that, Jennifer quickly unlocks her car and gets inside. She notices Dwight is still talking to her but she only ignores him as she locks the car and hastily backs out and takes off into the night.


End file.
